Landon Bow and Roope Hintz lead Texas Stars in 4-1 win over Cleveland

Fresh off their overtime win against Chicago, Texas has established something of a roll, beating the Cleveland Monsters 4-1 with yet another stellar performance from Landon Bow.

The first period was a unique test for the Stars. Texas hasn’t been a good special teams club this year, and there were four man advantage opportunities between both clubs – plenty of time to sway the game in Cleveland’s direction.

Despite the power plays, Texas held Cleveland to just nine shots.

Texas didn’t waste much time getting on board in the second period. Brent Regner sent the puck to the net, allowing Denis Gurianov to score his first goal of the season with a deflection.

It’s been a tough season for Gurianov to many observers. It took 17 games into the season for him to get on the scoresheet. However, it’s his 7th point of the year. While his shots have been extremely low, he’s made a concerted effort to strengthen his passing, which I believe will help his game long term.

Just a few minutes later, Roope Hintz got on board for his 5th of the year after Brian Flynn broke him loose for the breakaway to beat Matiss Kivlenieks.

Bow stayed calm, cool, and collected for his second straight game in a row. Part of it has been a function of Texas playing better structural hockey on special teams, but Bow himself has done a good job being in better position to take advantage of his 6’5 frame.

Texas kept the game rolling to begin the final period. Texas couldn’t capitalize on the 5 on 3, but with the 5 on 4 remaining, Justin Dowling broke through to give Texas the 3-0 lead.

Cleveland finally managed to beat Bow, four minutes later. Dean Kukan found Miles Koulas all alone in the slot with a risky but high impact pass.